The East Side is a district of Milwaukee, Wisconsin consisting of several neighborhoods encompassing an area just north of Downtown Milwaukee to the village of Shorewood, bordered by the Milwaukee River to the west and Lake Michigan to the east. The area encompasses residences, museums, bars, shops, theaters, live music clubs and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee campus. History Concerted settlement in the East Side neighborhood began during the 1880s with well-to-do settlers with upper-class roots developed the East Side along Lake Michigan. The location had early appeal due to its location atop the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan. Many of the extravagant homes are still standing today, particularly around the North Point section. Away from the lake, workers for the nearby tanneries settled in, creating an ethnically diverse area over the decades. By the early 1870s East Brady Street began to emerge as a center of Polish commerce with a concentration of working class Polish immigrants living in the surrounding neighborhood. In the 1920s the ethnic focus of the neighborhood began to shift to Italian, reaching its peak in the 1950s. In 1960s and 1970s, the Lower East Side neighborhood and Brady Street became Milwaukee's counterculture and hippie epicenter. After blight began to set in during the early 1980s, a Business Improvement District was formed on Brady Street in an effort to reverse perceptions of decline. The business area has since seen revitalization and has welcomed a more diverse array of businesses. In addition to a traditional Italian bakery and grocery, a variety of ethnic restaurants and local taverns dot this popular commercial street along with a mix of traditional and eclectic businesses, many in restored historic buildings. Prospect Avenue, which was once home to many of Milwaukee's grand mansions, saw several of the historic structures demolished and replaced with high-rise residential structures such as Landmark on the Lake. Culture The East Side is considered by some as Milwaukee's melting pot, with a mix of hipsters, hippies, college students and young professionals converging in the area's diverse restaurants, bars and stores. The area is also known for its historic architecture, such as St. Hedwig's, on the corner of Humboldt Avenue and Brady Street. With the exception of St. Hedwig's, the buildings of the area reflect the styles popular in Milwaukee, including the Italianate, Queen Anne, Classical Revival, and the German Renaissance Revival. Oriental Theatre, a movie palace still in operation, was